Project Bloom
Project BLOOM encourages participants to "BLOOM Where You are Planted" by bringing together students of varying disabilities and pairing them with a Lenawee County 4-H youth mentor allowing them to experience the wonders of nature together all while learning skills that extend far beyond the garden. The program is the result of a fruitful collaboration between Hidden Lake Gardens, Lenawee County 4-H, and the Lenawee Intermediate School District. This year, Project BLOOM will be held weekly starting on Wednesday, June 11. Anyone interested in knowing more about the program can contact the HLG Office at hlg@msu.edu or at 517-431-2060.
History of Project BLOOM
In 1990, a the W.K. Kellogg Foundation created a $99,000 grant to help support Project BLOOM, which was to be a summer day camp program that allowed 4-H members to mentor students with disabilities, encouraging all members to share each other's world through horticulture.
Thanks to the generous grant, Hidden Lake Gardens now enjoy a shelter near the Conservatory with raised beds that accommodate wheelchairs. A portion of the grant was also used to build a wheelchair-accessible trail within the existing hiking trail system to improve access to the Gardens for disabled youth.
Fun Fact!
While fishing is not permitted on Hidden Lake Gardens grounds, the students involved in Project BLOOM are permitted to fish in our lake once each summer!